Chess type game for three players



Sept. 12, 1967 R. D. DYKES 3,341,205

Y CHESS TYPE GAME FOR THREE PLAYERS Filed July 6, 1964 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Rs 5&1: D. 1717155:

Affornqy Sept. 12, 1967 R. D. DYKES CHESS TYPE GAME FOR THREE PLAYERS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 6. 1964 i7 8 REG egsgfirrrm I G U RE y 2g 0 Alia/Hey z United States Patent 3,341,205 CHESS TYPE GAME FOR THREE PLAYERS Reggie D. Dykes, Baton Rouge, La. (4117 W. Central Ave., Zachary, La. 70791) Filed July 6, 1964, Ser. No. 380,516 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-131) This invention relates generally to a new and improved game of the class played with sets of movable pieces and a game board. More particularly, the invention relates to a game having certain similarities to chess, in that a spaced board is used and a set of pieces for each player, each set being a modified chess set as hereafter described.

Despite the antiquity of the game of chess and the high state of development of the play thereof, the game is and has been limited to two players. A need has existed for a game having the highly desirable features of chess, but adaptable or available to three players.

The object of the present invention is to provide a game employing three sets of movable pieces, for three players. A further object is to provide a game for three players in which the moves, strategies and techniques of chess play are employable.

In all forms of the invention a board having a generally hexagonal configuration is used, and three differently colored sets of pieces. Additional pieces are added to each set for more diversity of play.

The principles of the invention are apparent from the description herein-after given and from the figures, where- 1n:

FIG. 1 is a plan of the board showing also the starting disposition of three conventional sets of pieces,

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a segment of the board showing the initial placement of pieces of one set of one form of the game,

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a board segment showing the initial placement of one set of pieces in a modified form of the invention.

The board employed is a generally hexagonal board. It consists of three equal diamond shaped portions or fields, three border portions or zones and a center space. Each diamond shaped portion is divided into rows. of smaller diamond shaped spaces. The number of rows is the same in each direction, and the small diamond spaces are colored or shaded to provide alternation in each direction. Each border zone extends from a corner of the hexagonal board to the center space, and borders two of the diamond shaped fields, and is, further, made up of alternating colored spaces abutting individually the diamond spaces composing the edge rows of the diamond shaped fields, and preserving alternation thereby. The center space is also colored to established alternation with the adjacent end spaces of the three border zones.

In preferred forms, each diamond shaped field contains eight rows of smaller diamond spaces, in each direction, and three conventional sets of chess pieces or men are used therewith. In other forms a lesser or greater number of rows can be employed, with corresponding I change in the number of spaces in each border zone. It will be understood that, in each embodiment, the three diamond shaped fields are identical, and that there is an equal number of rows of smaller spaces in each direction.

Referring to FIG. 1, the board is shown made up of three generally regular diamond shaped fields 12 12 12 three border zones 13,, 13 13 and a center space 14. Each field is ruled 03 into 64 spaces of alternating color, so that, in effect, each field resembles a conventional chess board distorted into a diamond pattern. Eachborder zone is also divided into eight spaces of alternating color along its length, each space being also a color-alternating with the adjacent spaces at the edges of the fields. It is seen that the alternation of color of adjacent spaces is preserved throughout the entire board.

3,341,205 Patented Sept. 12, 1967 For convenient reference, the portions of each board on which the sets are initially positioned, 'are termed castles. Each such castle portion includes, then, spaces in two of the diamond shaped fields and two (or in certain embodiments, three) spaces of the boundary zone between the fields. The rows of alternating spaces parallel to the sides of the board are termed ranks, as on the normal chess board. Thus, the row at the edge of a board is the first rank, the next inward row is the second rank, and so on. It is seen that a rank for one set is not a straight row, but includes spaces in two fields and a space in the boundary zone between the fields. The ninth rank with respect to one player is then composed of two boundary zones and the center space 14. The rows of spaces proceeding inwardly are termed files, analogously to rows of a conventional chess board. In contrast to a chess board, the files of one set of pieces comprise the ranks of the opposing sets, and vice versa.

FIG. 1 also shows the initial positions of three sets 15, 16, 17 of'conventional chess pieces. The individual pieces are identified by the symbols as follows:

K-King Q-Queen B-Bishop KTKnight R-Rook P-Pawn As three sets of equivalent pieces are employed, they are customarily differentiated by color, as red, green, and

. white, or by a diiterent base configuration.

In starting play, the pieces of each set are initially placed on the second and third ranks. The kings are placed on the boundary spaces 18 18 18 of their second ranks. The queens, bishops, knights, rooks and pawns are positioned on the spaces of the second and third ranks in positions, relative to the king and the other pieces of a set, in va manner corresponding to the positions in a conventional chess game, except that, in contrast to the conventional arrangement, the queen is always initially positioned at the right of the corresponding king,

The general purpose of play is the same as in conventional chess and the same rules of play are followed, with certain modifications as set out below. The movements allowed the pieces are now described.

Firstly, all pieces are allowed to cross over a boundary and into an adjacent field. However, except in the case of tion is omitted. After checkmate, however, all pieces may move across a border without such interruption.

A further general limitation is that a piece is not permitted to be played in more than two fields.

The characteristics or permissible moves of individual pieces are listed below. Certain pieces are moved in the samemanner as in conventional chess, as noted.

Kings are allowed to move to any adjacent space, as in regular. chess. Rooks, also, are permitted movement of one or a plurality of spaces, in the same rank, or the same file, as the space from which the move is started, again, similarly to the conventional chess move.

Bishops are allowed to move in any diagonal direction from their starting positions. By diagonal is meant, of

course, across the corners of a space to the next space of the same color. Moves are made as many spaces as desired, provided they are not occupied by other pieces of the same set. A further degree of freedom isv provided a bishop after one king has been checkmated. Under these circumstances, when a bishop crosses a border, it is then allowed a one space move as a rook, whereby its color is changed. In other words, it can thus, illustratively, be converted from a bishop moving only on light spaces to a bishop moving only on dark spaces. Further, when crossing a border, after one king has been checkmated, the direction of movement can be altered. Prior to a checkmate, a bishop pauses one move at the border zone, before movement into a new field, at which time it may move in either direction. Thus, illustratively, if a bishop moves from space 25 in field 12 to a space 26 in the border zone 13 the next move may be in the same relative direction in field 12 to space 27 or 28. After checkmate, the bishop may cross a border and change direction, if desired, in one continuous move. Thereby it could move from space 25 to a space 29 in one move, which, it is seen, involves a change in direction at the border space 26.

Queens move either as a bishop or a rook, as in conventional chess, viz, either in rank or in file, or diagonally. Knights are permitted movement as in regular chess, viz, two spaces in any direction, rank or file from the starting space, and one space at right angles, from the first portion of the move.

The several pawns move only in their own files, and the first move can be two spaces in this embodiment. Pawns must be promoted upon reaching the ninth rank, to any more superior piece other than the king, and thereafter can, of course, be moved according to such new designation. The ninth rank, for any set of pieces, comprises the two border zones, and, for a kings pawn, the center space 14.

Pieces are captured by. moving a piece of one set to the space occupied by a piece of either of the two opposing sets, the captured piece or man to be then immediately removed. Capture by a pawn is made by movement on the diagonal to a space contiguous to the pawns space, which is occupied by the man captured. An extension of this is capture en passant, which is possible in this embodiment by the right hand rook pawn of a set. Thus, if a knights pawn 19 on its first move is moved two spaces to a space 20, which is in the rank corresponding to the file of the nearest rook pawn 21 of set 17 on the left, and if said rook pawn already occupies an adjacent space 22, it can be captured in an en passant manner by the rook pawn 21 being moved to the first space 23 available in the file of the knights pawn 19.

A further mode of capture resembling en passant capture can be carried out by the same rook pawn from the space 23 in the fourth rank of the first set 15. Thus, if the bishops pawn 24 occupies a space 30 in its fourth rank, the rook pawn can be moved to the fifth, rank space 31 to effect the capture. It is seen that, in this embodiment, the left rook, knight and bishop pawns can be captured in this en passant or modified en passant manner, as well as the kings pawn.

A king is checked in the same manner as in chess, viz, when it is susceptible to capture by any of the pieces of the two opposing sets. If this susceptibility cannot be removed in the next succeeding move by the player whose king is in check, or is not removed, the checked king is mated, and is immediately removed. The remaining pieces of the set of first checkmated king remain in play, however, and the game is completed when a second king is checkmated.

'In a variation of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the sets are initially placed on the first and second ranks, and this permits a longer period of play. Normally, this starting placement eliminates the en passant, or modified en passant, type of capture. However, if desired, the pawn opening moves may be modified to permit an initial forward move of either one, two or three spaces, in which case said en passant types of capture, by the nearest rook pawn of the set at the left, are again permissible.

Successive moves are made by players in a clockwise manner. The starting move is usually made by the playe of the lightest colored set. I

While the embodiment described above is most commonly used, further variety and intricacy can be supplied by further embodiments wherein an additional category of pieces or men is supplied in each set. Such an embodiment is shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, a segment of the board is shown with one set of men in starting position. Each set of men, in this embodiment, includes not only the same pieces as in a conventional chess set, as in FIG. 1, but an additional pawn, a new piece termed a musketeer (M) and a new piece termed a chancellor (C). The musketeer is positioned in the same rank as the king, between the left knight and the left bishop. Thus the set of pieces is balanced, with four men or pieces, and their corresponding pawns, both to the left and right of the king. The chancellor is initially positioned on the first rank, immediately behind the king.

The added pieces have move characteristics as follows: The musketeer moves either as a bishop or a knight, i.e., has the move latitudes of both of these pieces. The chancellor has the move latitude of both a conventional rook and a knight.

Still another variation is illustrated by FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, a single set of pieces is shown in a starting position on a segment of the board. The set includes the same men as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, plus an additional queen and an additional queens pawn.

In the two embodiment directly above described, it will be seen that the en passant, or modified en passant, type of capture of a pawn is possible with respect to the pawns to the right as well as to the left of the kings pawn.

In further variations, not shown, each field may have a larger number of ranks and files, nine and nine for example. Such variations result primarily in play of longer duration, and also eliminate the capture of pawns in the en passant or modified en passant manner.

Having fully described my invention and preferred embodiments, what I claim is:

1. A chess-type game for three players consisting of (a) a generally hexagonal board, said board including three equal diamond shaped portions, each divided into an equal number of ranks and files having bilaterally alternating colored spaces, three border zones of about the same width as a file, each said border zone running from a point of the hexagon board and bordering the sides of two of the fields, and a center space, the border zones being divided into alternating colored spaces to provide an alternating color space between the rank end spaces of the bordered diamond portions, and the center space also being colored to establish alternation with adjacent and contiguous spaces, and

(b) three sets of chess pieces, each having an equal number of corresponding pieces and each set having from 18 to 19 pieces, which include:

nine pawns, and from 9 to 10 other pieces.

2. A game according to claim 1 further defined in that each set of chess pieces consists of:

a king,

a queen,

a chancellor,

a musketeer,

two bishops,

two knights,

two rooks, and

nine pawns.

3. A game according to claim 1 further defined in that each set of chess pieces consists of:

a king,

two queens,

two bishops,

two knights,

two rooks, and nine pawns.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED FOREIGN PATENTS STATES PATENTS 335,792 12/1903 France.

Gore 273131 X 698,755 11/1930 France. DAutremont Z73131 5 2,902 1908 Great Britain. Morgan 273131 Stana e 273131 g 273 131 DELBERT B. LOWE, Przmary Examm'er. 

1. A CHESS-TYPE GAME FOR THREE PLAYERS CONSISTING OF (A) A GENERALLY HEXAGONAL BOARD, SAID BOARD INCLUDING THREE EQUAL DIAMOND SHAPED PORTIONS, EACH DIVIDED INTO AN EQUAL NUMBER OF RANKS AND FILES HAVING BILATERALLY ALTERNATING COLOURED SPACES, THREE BORDER ZONES OF ABOUT THE SAME WIDTH AS A FILE, EACH SAID BORDER ZONE RUNNING FROM A POINT OF THE HEXAGON BOARD AND BORDERING THE SIDES OF TWO OF THE FIELDS, AND A CENTER SPACE, THE BORDER ZONES BEING DIVIDED INTO ALTERNATING COLORED SPACES TO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATING COLOR SPACE BETWEEN THE RANK END SPACES OF THE BORDERED DIAMOND PORTIONS, AND CENTER SPACE ALSO BEING COLORED TO ESTABLISH ALTERNATION WITH ADJACENT AND CONTIGUOUS SPACES, AND (B) THREE SETS OF CHESS PIECES, EACH HAVING AN EQUAL NUMBER OF CORRESPONDING PIECES AND EACH SET HAVING FROM 18 TO 19 PIECES, WHICH INCLUDE: NINE PAWNS, AND FROM 9 TO 10 OTHER PIECES. 